Area bikers will be revved up Sunday for the 23rd annual Blessing of the Bikes ceremony at Murrysville Alliance Church on Old William Penn Highway.
The ceremony is just one of many that take place throughout the region as motorcycle-riding season begins in earnest. It is among the largest, regularly drawing 1,000-plus bikers and making for quite a sight as groups head out for rides afterward.
The blessing — where Pastor Dan Lawrence conducts a short service and prays for all the bikers to have a safe riding season — has grown from about 100 motorcycles to a crowd that fills the parking lot near to capacity.
It began when a group of riders asked Lawrence about attending one of his services.
“They asked if they could come to the church, and I said, ‘Of course, why wouldn’t you?’ ” he said prior to the 2018 blessing. “They told me that several other churches were not too welcoming of them attending in their leathers and riding their bikes.”
That was the start of the church’s biker ministry.
“God loves us all,” Lawrence said. “That includes bikers.”
Below, see video from the 2017 Blessing of the Bikes:
This year’s blessing is set for 12:30 p.m. at Murrysville Alliance Church, 4130 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville.
Municipal police monitor the event, provide security and, if necessary, briefly close some roads to move large groups of motorcyclists effectively.
For more, see MurrysvilleAllianceChurch.org.
